Officials Cram For School Openings

COCOA — School officials met Tuesday to work out strategy for opening three new schools and relocating 1,000 pupils with the least amount of trouble during the coming school year.

The Christa McAuliffe Elementary School in Palm Bay and the Challenger 7 elementary in Port St. John are scheduled to open this fall. School officials think they will be ready before classes resume, but contingency plans have been developed just in case they are not.

Elementary C, an unnamed Palm Bay school, is scheduled to open in January. Assistant Superintendent Willard Simpson said school officials planning for the easiest transition for the relocated pupils and staffs are struggling with myriad details involving transportation, operations and equipment.

Simpson said because Elementary C will not open until January, two separate schools will be operated at Turner Elementary for the fall session.

''We'll have two principals, two staffs, two student bodies, all that will operate separately. That way, the children will not have to adjust to new teachers and new routines when Elementary C is completed,'' Simpson said.

A similar plan may have to go into effect for the McAuliffe and Challenger schools if construction lags behind schedule. McAuliffe is scheduled to be completed on Aug. 6 and Challenger on Sept. 22. The contractor on Challenger has been running about a month ahead of his construction schedule and is shooting for a completion date of Aug. 22, Simpson said.

School begins for teachers on Aug. 18 and for pupils on Aug. 25.

''We'll be cutting it pretty close,'' he said.

If the schools aren't ready, school officials say, they either will put several schools on double sessions or operate two schools on one campus as is planned for Turner and Elementary C.

''We're checking out a lot of details right now along with some new considerations that came up during today's meeting,'' Simpson said Tuesday. '' Our plans should be finalized by the end of the week.''

Pupils who live in the Port St. John area but who attend Fairglen and Coquina elementaries in Titusville are to go to the Challenger 7 school.

Attendance lines for Turner, Lockmar, Meadowlane and Port Malabar elementaries will be redrawn and some pupils from all three schools will be assigned to McAuliffe.

plan to meet soon with parents and pupils who will be affected by the changes.

''I think just about everyone in Palm Bay realizes how critical the school situation is because of the phenomenal growth in that area. We haven't had any adverse reaction so far, probably because parents realize the changes are going to help out the situation,'' said Chevon Baccus, school spokeswoman.

The same is true in Port St. John, where parents have pressed for a local school, she said.